Oral health care and tooth cleaning dates back before 2000 B.C. in the Middle East, when abrasives such as crushed bone, crushed egg, and oyster shells were used to clean debris from teeth. In the early 18th century, Pierre Fauchard, a French surgeon, published a book entitled, “The Surgeon Dentist, A Treatise on Teeth,” that included information some have called the foundation of modern dentistry.
Prior to the 1850s, toothpastes were actually powders. During the 1850s, a toothpaste-in-a-jar called Crème Dentifrice was developed. Betel nut was included in toothpaste in England in the 1800s, and in the 1860s a home encyclopedia described homemade toothpaste that used ground charcoal.
Tooth powder, available from the late 18th century until the latter part of the 19th century, comprised charcoal and powdered bark and was packaged in a ceramic container as a powder or paste. Brushes, twigs, fabric, or the user's finger could apply such powder. A dentist then added soap to toothpaste in 1824. Chalk was subsequently added to the mixture. In 1873, the Colgate Company started mass-producing toothpaste with more pleasing flavor in jars. Colgate introduced toothpaste in a tube similar to modern-day toothpaste tubes in the 1890s. Such pre-mixed toothpastes were first marketed in the 19th century, but did not surpass the popularity of tooth powder until World War I.
Until 1945, toothpastes contained soap. After that time, other ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulphate made the paste into a smooth emulsion and replaced soap. By 1900, a paste made of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda was recommended.
In the second half of the twentieth century modern toothpastes were developed to help prevent or treat specific diseases and conditions such as tooth sensitivity. Toothpastes with very low abrasiveness were also developed and helped prevent problems caused by overzealous brushing.
The breakthrough that transformed toothpaste into the crucial weapon against tooth decay was the finding that fluoride could dramatically reduce cavities. Fluoride was added to toothpaste in the early 1960s, and soluble calcium fluoride was added some 20 years later. A 1962 study at Newburgh, N.Y., one of the first cities to add fluoride to its water supply, found that in 15 years, cavities dropped by 70 percent.
For over 50 years, adding fluoride to drinking water has been seen as a magic bullet to conquer tooth decay. In fact, in 1999, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) named the fluoridation of drinking supplies as one of the 20th century's top ten advancements in public health.
But some scientists have questioned fluoride's safety and believe Americans could be ingesting toxic levels. Despite fluoride's obvious benefits as a cavity fighter, it is, nevertheless, a poison. In fact, before its efficacy as a tooth decay inhibitor was discovered, it was used mainly as a rat and insect poison.
A recent review in “The Lancet” describes fluoride as “an emerging neurotoxin substance” that may damage the developing brain. The National Research Council (NRC) has identified fluoride as an “endocrine disrupter” that may impair thyroid function. A recent Harvard University study links fluoride to bone cancer. Several Chinese studies found links between high fluoride levels and lower intelligence. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon, warns that fluoride may be linked to neurological impairment, brain diseases like Alzheimer's, male impotence and infertility, sleep impairment, retardation in children, and numerous cancers.
The CDC estimates the average American gets between 1 mg/L and 3 mg/L of fluoride daily and has set a goal of 1 mg/L. However, even that low level may increase health risks. One study showed that elderly men who drank water with only 1 mg/L fluoride had a 41 percent increase in the risk of hip fractures.
Americans, it is estimated, brush their teeth nearly 200 billion times a year and spend more than $1.6 billion on products relating to such activity. Toothpastes today typically contain fluoride, coloring, flavoring, and sweetener, as well as ingredients that render the toothpaste a smooth paste. When used, the paste foams and stays moist.
Modern toothpaste, which contains abrasives that physically scrub away plaque, works with a toothbrush to clean teeth and impedes the growth of plaque bacteria. Most of the cleaning is achieved by the mechanical action of the toothbrush, not by the toothpaste. The chemicals that hinder the growth of plaque bacteria include ingredients such as natural xylitol and artificial triclosan. In addition to removing food stains from teeth, toothpaste abrasives polish tooth surfaces.
Toothpaste in tubes is used throughout the world. Prior to WWII, toothpaste was packaged in small lead/tin alloy tubes. In the late 19th century, Washington Sheffield of Connecticut inserted toothpaste into a collapsible lead tube. The inside of the tube was coated with wax, but lead from the tubes leached into the product. It was the shortage of lead and tin during WWII that led to the use of laminated (aluminum, paper, and plastic combination) tubes. At the end of the 20th century pure plastic tubes were used.
Striped toothpaste was invented by Leonard Marraffino, described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,789,731 and issued 1957. The main material or carrier, usually white, is disposed at the crimp end of the toothpaste tube and constitutes the greatest volume. A thin pipe, through which the main carrier material flows, descends from the nozzle thereto. The colored stripe material fills the gap between the carrier material and the top of the tube.
The two materials are not in separate compartments, but are sufficiently viscous that they will not mix. When pressure is applied to the toothpaste tube, the main material squeezes down the thin pipe to the nozzle. Simultaneously, the pressure applied to the main material is translated to the stripe material, which then issues through small holes in the side of the pipe onto the main carrier material as it passes those holes.
Layered toothpaste, not to be confused with striped toothpaste, requires a multi-chamber design (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,694), in which two or three layers extrude out of the nozzle. This scheme, like that of pump dispensers (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,403), is more complicated and thus more expensive to manufacture than either the Marraffino or the Colgate composition.
The basic fundamentals of toothbrushes have not changed since the times of the Egyptians and Babylonians. A handle is used to grip, and a bristle-like feature cleans the teeth. The Chinese are believed to have invented the first natural bristle toothbrush made from bristles of pigs' necks in the 15th century, the bristles being attached to a bone or bamboo handle. When it was brought from China to Europe, this design was adapted and often used softer horsehairs which many Europeans preferred. Other designs in Europe used feathers.
One of the first toothbrushes of a more modern design was made by William Addis in England around 1780. The handle was carved from cattle bone and the brush portion was still made from swine bristles. In 1844, the first 3-row bristle brush was designed.
Toothbrush bristles are now usually synthetic and range from very soft to soft in texture, although harder bristle versions are available. Toothbrush heads range from very small for young children to larger sizes for adults. Over its long history, the toothbrush has evolved to become a scientifically designed tool using modern ergonomic designs and hygienic materials.